What If's, Maybe So's and Could've Been's
by Earthling
Summary: Sam,Jack and Cass have forgotten who they are! Can the SGC protect them long enough for their memories to return? *Sam and Jack marriage!* *Finished!* Please, please R&R!! I'm begging you!
1. Default Chapter

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
  
The man rolled over and swung an arm over his wife. The early morning was just peeking through the sheer curtains drawn across the window, telling him it was time to start the day. His wife grumbled and pushed the covers back reluctantly. He started drifting back to sleep, aware he had no office to report to and no producer's to haggle with.   
  
"Oh no you don't!" his wife said and pulled the warm comforter off the bed, leaving her husband exposed to the cool morning air. The man groaned and tumbled out of bed himself. He stretched and yawned and pulled his wife into his arms.  
  
"Good morning, dear" he said, pecking her on the lips. She smiled lovingly and headed for the bathroom and the shower. The man scratched at his head and pulled a t-shirt on as he made his way down the hall. He rapped his knuckles on his daughter's door.  
  
"Hey! You're mom says it's morning!" he called. He could hear the bed squeaking as the girl rolled over, trying to ignore him.  
  
"Sleeping Beauty! You're wasting your time!" He waited for a second and the door opened. A sleepy looking teen glared back at him, her hair shooting all over and a red mark from a wrinkle in her pillowcase slashing across her cheek.  
  
"I know the feeling" he told her and started down the stairs.  
  
The two women made it downstairs twenty minutes later, both ready for the day.  
  
"What's for breakfast?"   
  
"Omelettes" the man answered, putting a plate in front of his daughter. His wife laughed.  
  
"Break the eggs again?" she asked teasingly, sipping at her morning coffee.  
  
"It was on purpose!" he defended sullenly.   
  
"Sure, Dad" the girl laughed through her mouthful of egg and cheese.  
  
"It's all right. I didn't marry you for your culinary abilities" his wife consoled him with a kiss and a bite of her omelette.  
  
"You didn't?" he exclaimed, "Damn! There goes another blissful delusion" Both women laughed as they finnished their breakfast he had so valliantly prepared for them.   
  
"Did you finnish your homework last night, toad?"  
  
"Yeah, no prob Dad" the girl answered, gathering her book bag and papers, "Just some simple calculus"  
  
"Simple calculus?" he responded, "Isn't that an oxymoron?"  
  
"You're the only ox around here, Dad, and the only moron. How'd we end up with such a dumbo like him?" his daughter asked her mother.  
  
"It was the ears" his wife replied, "I just couldn't get enough of them"  
  
"Ha ha" he said, "but if you two don't get going, you're going to be late" He followed them to the front door, helping them with coats and briefcases and lost earrings. Finally, they had everything and he opened the door to the bright morning sunshine.  
  
"Don't work too hard, Daddy!" the girl grinned, knowing he had nothing to do.  
  
"Ha ha. Have a good day, honey" he told his wife and kissed her cheek.  
  
"Bye" she replied. He waved as they got in the car and drove away. Then, Jack O'Neill, Hollywood superstar, closed the front door. 


	2. Cass

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
  
"Cass!" The girl stopped to search fro the voice that had called her. The hallway was crowded with other teens, talking and walking, trying to get to their first classes. Cassi O'Neill found the other girl immediately, despite the mayhem.  
  
"Hey, Cassie. What's up?" she greeted her friend as she emerged from the crowd.  
  
"Nothin' much" the other girl answered as they resumed their journey to their first classes.  
  
"Did you pick up your schedual in the office?" Cassie asked.   
  
"Uh....no. I must've forgotten" Cassi responded, not remembering that she had ever been told to go to the office. A sudden image of a small dark room with a flag in a corner and desk with a red phone planted itself in her mind as "The Office."  
  
"Come on, I better take you" her friend said understandingly, taking a turn down a less populated hall. Plaques and trophy cases lined the walls, all displaying memories of past victories of the school. Further down the hall, a small sign that said "office" hung above a door.  
  
"Did you catch that new Avril Levigne video last night?" Cassie asked as they walked.  
  
"Who?" Cass asked, bewildered.  
  
"You've never heard of Avril Levigne?" Cass shook her head.  
  
"Man!" Cassie exclaimed and pushed the door to the office open. They crossed the threshold and Cass was surprised to find herself in a brightly lit, spaceous room. A chest high counter seperated the room from a small entry area, and a nice looking middle aged woman stood behind it, talking to another student. Cassie leaned up against the counter as he left.  
  
"Morning, Mrs. Shelt" she said merrily.  
  
"Good morning, Cassandra, Cassandra" the woman nodded at the girls, "Oh dear. This is going to get somewhat confusing I suppose"  
  
"Call me Cass" Cassi suggested, "Everyone else does"  
  
"Cass needs her schedual Mrs. Shelt" Cassie informed the secretary.   
  
"Of course!" Mrs. Shelt smiled and pushed a paper across the counter, "Some very advanced calsses, Ms. O'Neill. I hope you can manage them"  
  
"Thank you, ma'am" Cass responded with a smile and followed her friend out the door. She was still somewhat confused about her situation and she wondered why it seemed so unfamiliar. She looked down at her class schedual. Calculus and triginometery, debate and higher sciences, lunch, then art three, creative writing and ancient history.   
  
"Man!" Cassie cried when she had examined the schedual as well, "Mrs. Shelt was right! All I have with you is debate and creative writing!" A loud bell peeled through the halls and startled Cass.  
  
"What was that!?" she cried.  
  
"Relax. It's just the warning bell. Means you've got three minutes to get to class." She laughed at her friend's still alarmed look.  
  
"Don't worry. You'll get used to it. Not like being tutored in Hollywood, where you're the only student" Suddenly, everything made sense to Cass and she laughed at her own jitters.  
  
"Yeah. That's what I get for having a superstar Dad" She laughed and waved at her friend as she took off for her first class. 


	3. Sam

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
  
"Good morning, Doctor!" Samantha O'Neill turned.  
  
"Oh, good morning Doctor......Jackson, right?"  
  
"Yes. Call me Daniel, though" The young man was about her own height, brown hair and glasses. Sam immediatly got the feeling that he was a bit of a geek, but he was the only other proffessor that had been the least bit friendly towards her. The others mostly felt that she had only replaced their last astrophysics proffessor because of her husband, and they all felt pretty strongly that their friend would be returning before long. Sam closed the door to her car and wondered if Colorado might not be just as harsh as Hollywood had been. She stopped, trying to think of how Hollywood had been bad to them, but found she couldn't conjure a single particular incident.  
  
"So, are you getting settled in?" the young man's question startled her out of her thoughts.   
  
"We're doing all right" she answered with a smile and started her way across the parking lot, "We finally got everything out of the boxes, and my daughter was supposed to pick her class schedual up today, so."   
  
"You have a daughter? I didn't know that" Jackson said as he held the door open for Sam, "What's her name?" Sam thought she saw a look of guilt pass over his face, but then he smiled and it was gone.  
  
"Cassi" she answered with a smile of her own. Duel images surfaced in her mind, one of her daughter and one of a girl she didn't recognize, but felt she knew.   
  
"Really! That's my daughter's name!" Sam almost stopped following the young proffessor through the halls. She was *sure* she knew that he had no daughter. But how in the world would she know a thing like that? She only met the man a couple of days ago, at the staff meeting, and certainly no personal information was spoken of at that particular function.  
  
"Doctor O'Neill? Are you all right?" Genuine concern shadowed his face. She shook herself and smiled at him.  
  
"I'm fine. I just...remembered something" she told him hesitantly. She could see this man in a small office, filled with trinkets and books. She could see him in a room that could've been a tomb in ancient Egypt. The images flashed by, too quick for her to catch.  
  
"Oh" he replied, and resumed his walk toward their rooms. They were situated right next to each other.  
  
"What grade is your Cassi in?" Sam asked politely, the odd feeling that something was wrong fading away.   
  
"She's in the eleventh grade. She does well in school, though sometimes I could wish she'd pay a little more attention to her books. But we can't all be college proffessors!" Daniel answered.  
  
"My Cassi's an eleventh grader too" Sam told him, "I'm hoping it won't be too hard on her. She's never been to school before. She's always had a tutor"  
  
"I'm sure she'll be fine. I'll tell Cassie to keep an eye out for her" Daniel laughed, "My wife's always telling me she needs some good influences!" The thought of Jackson's unkown wife produced the image of a short brown haired woman. The feeling that things were a bit off returned, but Sam didn't say anything. They reached their rooms.  
  
"Hey, you should bring your family to lunch on Sunday! I bet Janet would love to meet you!" Daniel suggested.  
  
"That's your wife?" Daniel nodded, "What's she do?"  
  
"She's a doctor. A medical doctor, I mean"  
  
"Oh. Well, I'm sure we'd love to come." Sam answered warily.  
  
"Great! Oh, better go. Kids'll be coming in soon. I hope." Daniel glanced at his watch again, "I'll see you then!" Sam waved and walked into her own classroom. As she began preparing for the day, her earlier concerns faded away, and she began looking forward to building a new life in this smaller town. 


	4. Jack

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
  
Jack glanced at the clock again and flicked the TV off. It was 3 o'clock, so at least Cass would be home soon. He felt like going on a run and he was sure she'd go with him. He left the remote on the table and walked to the kitchen, but he'd already cleaned up, and they'd starve if he started cooking dinner. There was nothing left to unpack, and he'd just mowed the lawn two days ago. He was bored and he knew it. Sam and Cass both had warned him that he would get bored without three movies to work on at once. He was used to having something to do from sun up to sun down, most of it physical considering he hadn't done a non-action movie since his early days. But, they had all been lulled by the paparazzi free lifestyle, the chance to be "normal". For the first time in her life, her parents were okay with letting Cass go out without a body guard, security and thorough background checks. They were perfectly safe, and they didn't have to worry about a thing.  
  
It was all becoming imensely boring.  
  
Jack headed for the garage. He could wash the SUV. That ought to keep him busy for a while. He hit the open button and backed the Jummy out. The sunlight was bright, and the air was warm, a perfect day to wash the car. He was hooking the hose up when he thought he saw something in the bushes. His entire body went taught, battle ready. The idea was odd, but the feeling was right. He moved toward the bushes, surprised at how quiet he was. They shook again, very lightly. He crept closer. He though he saw cloth between the branches, but he was still too far to be sure. He moved in even closer. Closer....closer..........  
  
And a cat jumped at him.  
  
"For cryin' out loud!" he cried and jumped back, "Dumb cat!" He shook himself, feeling the adrenaline in his system. He wondered why, and how, he'd become so alert when he'd perceived "danger". A foggy memory of jumping out of planes, running from gunfire in heavy foilage, and attacking a man in some sort of costume rushed through his head like a swiftly moving river, carrying the images away. Jack spun around, sure he would be somewhere else. But only the Jimmy and the hose awaited him in the driveway.  
  
"Sorry" Jack spun back around, his hands up and ready to lash out. A somewhat rotund middle aged man was standing on the other side of the bushes.  
  
"Did my cat scare you?" he asked, a quiver of startlement in his own voice.  
  
"Oh." Jack replied, "Oh, yeah, sorta. I'm more of a dog person myself."  
  
"Yeah, well, old Blush won't hurt you" the man replied.  
  
"Bulsh?"  
  
"The cat" the man pointed to the animal who was now stalking the other end of the bushes. Jack chuckled and forced a smile.  
  
"Right"  
  
"My name's Dan. Dan Bardenoff" He extended his hand over the chest high bushes.  
  
"Jack O'Neill"  
  
"Nice to finally meet ya. You've been livin' here for a while, but we've never met. Hardly ever even see ya! Job of yours must keep you pretty busy!"  
  
"Yeah, it does" Jack answered ruefully, "Usually"  
  
"Whatddya do?" Dan asked genially.   
  
"Uh, actor. Action flicks mostly" Jack answered.  
  
"Really? Never heard of ya. But, my wife, she doesn't let me watch a lot of the good stuff, ya know?" Jack just nodded. This seemed like a perfectly normal conversation to be having with a new neighbor.  
  
"Explains why you're so edgy" the man contined, "Big movie hot shot, probably gotta watch your back, right?" That was it. Jack completely forgot about his earlier concerns.  
  
"Hey, Dad!" Cass called as she strolled up the drive. He waved and she trotted over.  
  
"What's up?" she asked.  
  
"This is Mr. Bardenoff, Cass. Dan, this is my daughter, Cass." Jack introduced them.  
  
"Eh, call me Dan. Never heard no one call me Mr. Bardenoff before. It's nice to meet you, Cass"  
  
"You too. You didn't start dinner, did you? Oh, thank god!" Cass laughed when Jack said no, "I better go start somethin'. Mom said she'd be home around five." She smiled at Dan and trudged into the house.  
  
"Nice kid" Dan commented, "Well, I gotta go. You let me know if Blush bothers you"  
  
"Right. See ya" Jack waved and followed his daughter into the house. 


	5. An Incident

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
  
Cass threw her napkin at her father from across the table. They were all laughing about a joke he had made at her expense.  
  
"Are we going jogging or not?" Sam asked through her laughs.  
  
"Yes!" Jack and Cass answered together.   
  
"Then let's go!" They had always worked out together before, but they found it much more enjoyable now. They could go jogging without body guards, and they could go whenever they wanted. Jack and Cass's workouts were more strenuous then Sam's, but she did her yoga while they lifted. Niether parent did martial arts, so they would do more traditional excercises while Cass practiced that. They loved having the freedom of doing it all outside.  
  
So they locked the doors and set off. Cass took the lead on the sidewalk. They were breathing too hard to really talk, but it didn't matter.  
  
They'd reached the end of the road before any of them noticed anything strange. Cass noticed it first. She wasn't sure what it was, but things just didn't feel right. She was reminded of the feeling she'd had a week ago, that second day of school. She stuffed the feeling in the back of her head and kept jogging.  
  
They headed for the park. The morning was a little cool, but the park was full. They smiled at other joggers as they passed on the path. That's when Jack began to notice what seemed to be people following them. At first, he dismissed them as bodyguards, but then he remembered they didn't have any security anymore. Again, he felt his entire body tense up, like it was used to being on the defense. The people his senses were picking up were dressed as normal people. But they were half hidden behind trees, and they seemed to avert their gaze whenever he looked their direction. One man, in particular, drew his attention. He was tall and broad and stuck out as one of the only blacks in the park. He wore a knit cap low on his forehead. They were just starting to pass him and Jack stopped. He felt the oddest sense of familiarity.  
  
"Good morning" the man said. His voice.......was different. Jack couldn't place it.  
  
"Hi" he replied. Sam and Cass realized they'd left him behind and came back for him. The man said nothing as the family jogged away.   
  
"Did either of you recognize that guy?" Jack asked when they'd stopped to stretch.  
  
"Now that you mention it, he did seem somewhat familiar" Cass answered.  
  
"I thought so too. Like I knew his face, but I don't why" Sam added.   
  
"Maybe I should call for some security" Jack suggested. Cass groaned.  
  
"Awe, come on Dad!"  
  
"Why don't we just wait, and see what happens, okay, honey?" Sam pleaded. Jack hesitated, but nodded. No sense in jumping to conclusions.  
  
"All right. What are you working on today? You need a spot?" he asked his daughter.  
  
"I don't think so, Dad" she answered, glancing over her shoulder, "I thought I'd just work on some simple flips" Jack kept an eye on her as she started doing back flips. Then handsprings. Then both. Pretty soon, both he and his wife had stopped their own excercises. A crowd was gathering around Cass. She sprung from the ground, did a double twist in the air, and landed perfectly. With no running start. She did it over and over again, with increasing complexity and higher altitude. All with simply jumping off the ground. It seemed to both parents that such a feat should be physically impossible. Especially to Sam, the scientist.  
  
"How is she doing that?" a woman from the crowd asked.  
  
"She shouldn't be able to" Sam whispered to Jack. It was almost as if she was suspending herself in midair, somehow. The crowd clapped everytime she landed. And then the man showed up. At the back of the crowd.  
  
"Sam" Jack nodded at him.  
  
"Cass!" Sam shouted, "Time to go home!" Cassi landed and took stock of the crowd. She shook herself and smiled at the crowd. She waved as they walked away. They didn't speak, just walked quickly.  
  
"That guy is following us" Cass announced very quietly. Jack threw a casual glance over his shoulder.  
  
"I don't see him" he whispered.  
  
"He's there"  
  
"How do you know?" Sam asked.  
  
"I just........do" Cass answered, a shadow of fright in her voice. Something told her parents to trust her, as they always had of course, so they picked up the pace.  
  
They locked all the doors when they got home. Each of them had the notion to go do something and ignore what had happened. But they stood huddled in the kitchen.  
  
"Well" Jack started.  
  
"How were you doing that?" "It was amazing!" "I have no idea how I did that!" They had all spoken at once and now fell silent again.  
  
"It shouldn't have been physically possible" Sam commented.  
  
"It was almost as if I wasn't doing it physically" Cass told them, "Like....I was on a wire or something"  
  
"And what about that guy? I had the oddest feeling about him" Jack added. They all looked at each other for a moment more.  
  
"Well, I'm going to take a shower" Cass announced.  
  
"I've got to finnish this thing for the Jackson's tomorrow. You both remember we're going, right?"  
  
"Yes, Sam, dear" Jack answered with a roleof his eyes and followed Cass upstairs. 


	6. The Jackson's

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
"Ssshhh!"  
  
"I have to make some noise!"  
  
"The Colonel's a light sleeper! He's trained you know!" The hissing voices cleared a bit, but he was still mostly asleep. He couldn't seem to wake himself entirely, so he decided he was dreaming. He certainly felt like he was dreaming.  
  
"Doctor?" a male voice asked anxiously.  
  
"They're fine." a female resoponded, "Their.....do you know anything about the brain? Well, okay, the area that holds memories is being blocked for the most part, but they may be having memory flashes. There isn't anything I can do though, so........................" The woman's voice faded out of the dream and Jack fell into a different one.  
"Knock it off. We'll be late" Sam pushed Jack's hand away. He was being playfull this morning, but they didn't have time for fun if they were going to be to the Jackson's on time. Jack responded by wiggling his eyebrows at her, a frisky promise in his eyes for later. She finnished clipping her necklace and turned around. She planeted a kiss on his lips then hurried out of the room before it could go any farther.  
  
"Cassi, are you ready?" she called through her daughter's door. The door swung open and Cass emerged.  
  
"Cassi, it's a sunday lunch, not a trip to the mall!" Sam scolded. Cass was dressed in a blue knitted, hooded sweatshirt with a V neckline and formed jeans over combat boots.  
  
"Wear a dress, or at least a skirt"  
  
"I don't *have* a dress" Cass objected.   
  
"What're you talking about?" Sam pushed into the room, "Of course you have a dress" She flicked through the half full closet, then stepped back.  
  
"Huh. You don't have a dress" Behind her Cass rolled her eyes. Sam turned and took stock of her daughter.  
  
"Well. You can wear one of mine" she said and pulled Cass into her room. She thought briefly, then pulled out a purple sun dress. It was short, plain, and tied in the back.  
  
"How about this one?" she suggested. Cass sighed and took the dress, then disappered into the bathroom. Sam was momentarily puzzled by how she had picked a suitable dress the first try. Then she laughed. Cass was her daughter, after all, of course she knew her tastes! But that didn't seem quite right.  
  
"I'm going to need shoes, too" Cass informed her mother, stepping out of the bathroom. The dress was perfect on her, accentuating her almost black blue eyes and caramel colored hair which she had let down around her shoulders. Sam bent and found the shoes that matched the dress.  
  
"Good thing we're the same size" Sam commented.   
  
"I suppose *that* depends on how you look at it" Cass replied. A horn honked outside. The women hurried downstairs and out the door. Jack had the Jimmy ready.  
  
"Did you have an accident with some scissors or something?" Jack teased when they'd piled in.  
  
"Ha ha" Cass replied snidely, "Just drive" Jack laughed and pulled out of the driveway. They found the house easily enough, not too far away. Sam gave one last pat to her dress while jack knocked. Dr. Jackson opened the door.  
  
"Hi, hi!" he greeted them, "C'mon in, come in." He moved back to allow the family in.  
  
"We brought desert" Sam told him and displayed the cheesecake she'd made.  
  
"Oh, great!" Jackson said, taking the cake, "Janet's in the kitchen, this way" He led them through the house to the dining room and kitchen.  
  
"Janet, these are the O'Neill's" he introduced them. Sam held back a gasp when the woman turned around. She seemed very familiar, then Sam realized she was the woman she'd imagined when Daniel had mentioned his wife. Jack was having a similar reaction, but he couldn't place the incident until she spoke. It was the voice from his dream.  
  
"It's nice to meet you!" she smiled, "Danny's told me so much about you, Sam. I'm so glad we finally get to meet!"  
  
"They brought cheesecake" Daniel handed the cake to his wife.  
  
"Oh, you didn't have to do that" Janet said.  
  
"Uh, this is my husband, Jack and our daughter, Cass" Sam introduced. They all exchanged hellos, and then a young girl came in from upstairs.  
  
"Here's our Cassie," Janet said as she came in.  
  
"Yeah. We've met" Cass exclaimed, "But I thought your last name was Fraiser"  
  
"It is" Cassie answered.  
  
"Oh" Cass replied, "Well, you didn't tell me your Dad worked with my mom"  
  
"Guess I didn't realize" Cassie answered, somewhat nervously, as if she'd messed something up.   
  
"Well, lunch is ready, if you are. I hope you like pasta!" Janet picked a bowl up and nodded to the back yard, "I thought we'd eat outside."  
  
"Do you need help carrying anything?" Sam asked.  
  
"Well, if you want to get the salad....."  
  
"So, Jack, how do you like the town?"  
  
"So, how'd that history project you were working on turn out?" They all moved outside. The afternoon passed well, and they all had a good time. Cass and Cassie planned a shopping trip for the next weekend, and Janet had suggested some gardenning stores to Sam. The men discovered they could find things to talk about too. Soon, the O'Neills were leaving and the Jackson's were breathing a sigh of relief. Nothing seemed odd to the O'Neill's, but, as Jack was closing the garage door, he noticed a back SUV sitting across the street and something about it peeked his senses. 


	7. Join The Team

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
  
Another couple of weeks passed. The O'Neills continued to notice strange things. The same people showing up, over and over again, everywhere they went, although the man from the park never showed up again. They all felt as if they were being watched, all the time. Sam and Cass noticed how Daniel and Cassie never seemed to leave them alone, and they all continued to have half-memory falshes, especially in their sleep. Had they thought about these things all together, they might've put it together. But they always seemed to forget about it right away. So, they were happy with their new lives.  
  
"Hey, Dad!" Cass yelled excitedly when she came in the house, "Dad! Dad!" Jack came in from the backyard where he'd been mowing.  
  
"Is there a fire?" he asked. He could tell his daughter was excited about something.  
  
"No. Guess what! A coach asked me to be on the cross country team!" she told him, trying not to hop un and down, "Isn't that cool!"  
  
"Uh, yeah" Jack answered. Cass's smile faded.  
  
"Don't tell me I can't!" she cried, "Please Daddy! Please, please, please, please, please!" She put on her best puppy eyes and made sure her hug was nice and tight. Jack laughed and put a kiss on the top of her head.  
  
"We'll see" he answered, "I'll talk to your mom about it" Cass grinned.  
  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said all in one breath.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. You better start dinner while I finish mowing, then we'll do the excercises" Jack shooed her off.   
  
He brought the subject up at dinner.  
  
"Well, Cass I don't mind if you play a sport, I mean this is a rather safe place, but I'm worried about how much you can handle right now" Sam said.  
  
"I can do it, Mom! Really, it's not a problem!" Cass assured her mother. Sam and Jack shared an amused look. Cass had always wanted to be involved in some sort of sport of organization with other kids her age, but it had never been safe.  
  
"I don't know.....it means taking you there, picking you up....watching your meets...." Jack teased. Cass simply gave him "I know you're kidding but give me a break" look.  
  
"If you can keep your grades up" Sam started, "And you don't seem to be going crazy.." She let the sentence hang.  
  
"For cryin' out loud, you can do it!" Jack cried, feigning impatience with his wife.  
  
"Yes!" Cass leapt from her chair and encompassed both of her parents in a large bear hug.   
  
"You're the greatest parents ever!" Jack and Sam just laughed, happy to see their daughter so happy.  
  
"I can't wait to tell Cassie!" she cried, "Oh. That reminds me! I better go get some stuff ready, I'm staying at her house tonight!"  
  
"Wait, Cassi!" Sam objected, "It's your father and I's anniversary!" Cass came back around the corner and gave them a knowing smile.  
  
"I know. Why do you think I'm going to Cassie's?" She disappeared back upstairs.  
  
"I think our daughter's getting too old, Jack"   
  
"Mmmmm...you may be right" Jack replied wolfishly, "but then, so might she" Sam just laughed and started clearing the table.  
  
Upstairs, Cass was busy pulling clothes out to take. She was looking for her wrist wrap, as she'd promised to teach Cassie some "moves", when all of the sudden she thought she heard something. She looked up, but didn't hear anything. She bent to look under her bed. Then she scuttled back, shaking her head. A thousand voices invaded her head, crowding and jumbling together until she could make absolutely no sense of it at all. It was like a thousand radio shows all at once. She grabbed at her head and huddled in a corner, terrified and in pain.   
  
Then it stopped It hadn't lasted 10 seconds. Cass shook her head and rubbed her temples.  
  
"What the hell?" she whispered to herself.   
  
"Cass?" Cassi quickly stood up and plastered a smile on her face as her mom pushed the door open.  
  
"You okay?" Sam asked.  
  
"Yeah" Cass answered with a cheerfullness she didn't feel, "I'm fine, why?"  
  
"I don't know" Sam replied, "I just.....thought maybe something was wrong" Sam chuckled to herself, "Guess I'm just an over protective mom"  
  
"Yeah, whatever" Cass laughed back, "Hey, at least your around" A jab of saddness hit Cass, and a stab of guilt flooded over Sam. Neither of them understood it, so they smiled at each other and tried to forget about it. A car horn honked out in the drive way. Jack came up behind Sam and swung an arm around her waist.   
  
"Hey, weasel, your ride's here" he said. Cass grabbed her bag and pounded down the stairs. Cassie was waiting at the front door, so Cass gave her parents each a quick hug and darted out the door.  
  
"So, we're in the house, all by ourselves, on our anniversary...what do you want to do?" Sam asked seductivly as she swung the door shut. Jack pulled her close, pressed his mouth to hers and said,   
  
"Play scrabble?" Sam just laughed and headed for the stairs. 


	8. Dreaming

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
"Is she okay?" Cass tried to lift her eyelids, but they wouldn't raise. She rolled over and let her mind drift back to sleep, discounting the voice she'd thought had woken her.  
  
"She seems to be " Now it was a female voice. It sounded sort of familiar. Like a voice she had once known well, and forgotten. She knew she wasn't dreaming, and she fought to wake herself up more, but her own mind fought her. The more she tried to wake, the sleepier she got. Finally, she just gave up and listened to the voices through a veil of dreaminess.   
  
"On video it looked like she was experiencing a burst of telepathy" the man said. Who was he?  
  
"I know, but there's no way I can tell anything without running a CAT scan or an MRI" the woman answered. Their voices were hushed whispers, which made it even harder to identify them.  
  
"We'll just have to keep a close eye on her" the man said.  
  
"And hope They can control them" the woman added. Niether of them said anything else and Cass was sure they'd left. She tried to keep the voices in her mind as she drifted back to sleep.  
"Did you have a good time?" Sam asked Cass as they drove away from the Jackson's.   
  
"I had the weirdest dream. Two weird dreams" Cass replied. The dreams had been bothering her all day, although she'd been carefull not to let on to the Jackson's.  
  
"The first one, I was like a super-human and I was in the Army I think, and we went to different planets and fought these guys with glowing eyes" Sam laughed.  
  
"Sounds like one of your Dad's movies"   
  
"Yeah. The other one, though, was just voices. They were talking about me, but I can't remember what they were saying"  
  
"Please tell my you're not becoming as paranoid as your father!" Sam begged as she pulled into the garage.   
  
"Where is Dad?" Cass asked as they hauled her stuff into the house.  
  
"He went next door to help Dan with something" Sam answered.  
  
"Help with what? Breaking their VCR? Poisioning their cat?" Cass joked.  
  
"Hey, I heard that" The girl turned around to see her father walking in the back door.  
  
"Well? Did you ruin whatever it was?" she asked.  
  
"No" Jack answered, "And it was a table. Anyway, they want us to come over for a barbeque"  
  
"Now?" Sam asked.  
  
"Unfortunately. Otherwise I would've made some excuse"  
  
"Jack" Sam scolded, "They can't be that bad"  
  
"Just wait" Jack told her, "You'll see"  
  
"They have kids?" Cass asked.  
  
"Two. About ten and eleven I think"  
  
"Why doesn't that sound like it bodes well?" she asked cautiously. Jack just gave her a look and opened the door.  
  
"Well, should we take something?" Sam wanted to know. Jack told her no, and they started across the yard. The tall hedges thinned out in the back right next to the back fence and they pushed through. A picnic table had been set up and the Bardenoffs were placing dishes of food in the middle. Mrs. Bardenoff was a squat woman, with her brown hair pulled up in a french twist and bright red lipstick smeared across her extremely mismatched lips.  
  
"Hey, Betty, there they are!" Dan exclaimed as the O'Neill's crossed the lawn. Mrs. Bardenoff looked up and smiled widely. Both Sam and Cass noticed that she had that bright red lipstick on her front teeth.  
  
"Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you!" she squeeled and crushed both women in a hug. Two boys with nerf guns came stampedeing out of the house. They chased each other around the table a half a dozen times before Dan caught them.  
  
"This is Bobby, and this here is Eddy" None of the O'Neill's could tell the boys apart but for their shirts.   
  
"Hello" Sam greeted them cheerfully. They responded by bombarding Cass with a couple dozen of nerf balls before taking off again. Both of the Bardenoff's just laughed and Dan "clapped" Jack on the back.   
  
" I think the boys like your little girl!" he crowed loudly, then started dragging the other man toward the grill.  
  
"So, Jack, what's your football team?" Mrs. Bardenoff grabbed Sam by the hands and started leading her to the kitchen, leaving Cass to deal with the Two Terrors by herself. It was going to be a long evening of social torture. 


	9. Some News

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
The days continued to pass, but the O'Neill family became more and more suspicous of their lives. One day, in history, Cass automatically translated two entire pages of Egyptian hyroglyphics in her head. Whenever she bumped into someone, she could hear their thoughts, which freaked her out. And she noticed that her friend Cassie was very careful not to touch her, ever, as if she knew all about this strange power, though Cass hadn't told another soul, even her parents, which was extremely odd.  
  
Jack felt as if there were eyes watching him everywhere. He even searched the house for hidden cameras one day. Whenever he went out he caught people who seemed to be following him. If they were, they were good. Jack couldn't be absolutely sure if they were really following him, or if they just had similar scheduals. Then there was the SUV sitting across the street. It hadn't moved in two weeks. Something about it had Jack on edge.   
  
Sam had less to notice. Although her collegues were convinced the doctor she had replaced would be back any time now, she couldn't base her feelings on that. She too felt something was very wrong with their lives. Daniel Jackson seemed to follow her around everywhere she went. He sometimes said things that didn't quiet make sense, or that he couldn't possibly know about her. Likewise, she sometimes knew what he was going to say before he did.  
  
They all were experiencing flashing memories. None of them were telling each other.  
  
They were continuing with their lives. Cass ran cross country and her parents made sure to make it to all of her meets.  
  
"I have never seen or heard of any one running that fast" Sam said for probably the fifth time as they walked into the house after a saturday meet.  
  
" 3.1 miles in 11.5 minutes is some sort of record" Jack added, "That's my girl"  
  
"I'm starved! And zonked! And filthy!" Cass complained.  
  
"Go take a shower. I'll make dinner" Sam suggested.  
  
"I'll take a nap for ya" her Dad teased. As she disappeared up the stairs, she could hear her parents discussing something in hushed tones, and she wondered what could have them being so secretive. She wondered briefly if they had somehow found out about her odd power but she dismissed the thought.   
  
When she came back downstairs a steaming plate of spagetti was waiting on the table. Jack and Sam were already sitting at the table. Cass go the feeling something was going on. She took her seat and picked up her fork. She twisted a big chunk of noodles up and put it in her mouth.  
  
"Your mother's pregnant" Cass choked and spit the ball of spagetti back onto her plate.  
  
"Jack! For god's sake! Are you okay, Cassi?" Cass just continued to choke and sputter.  
  
"Look, we know it's a surprise" Sam started. Cass was finally able to down some water and stop choking.  
  
"You're sure?" she asked, wiping tears away from her eyes.  
  
"Oh, yes. Very sure" Sam answered.  
  
"How long?"  
  
"About two weeks" her mother answered.  
  
"Great" Cass answered, "This is ridiculous, you know this right?" Niether parent said anything. It wasn't as if they'd meant to get pregnant.  
  
"I'm 16 fricking years old! I'll be 17 years older than this kid! He won't even know me!" Cass yelled.  
  
"Watch your language!" Jack warned her.  
  
"You're worried about my language?! You're nuts! Both of you! Crazy!"  
  
"Cassi, it's not like we planned this, you know!" Sam said gently, "It's going to be hard on all of us, but we'll be fine. It's a blessing to have a child!" Cass just stared at her mother, dumbstruck. Her jaw even dropped.  
  
"This is LUDICROUS!" she yelled and got up from the table to pace. Jack was about to say something when he noticed all the plates and cups on the table were floating.  
  
"Sam?" he nodded at the table and his wife's eyes enlarged to the size of saucers.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
"That's what I want to know!" Cass yelled behind her. As the girl's agitation rose, so did everything else. The chairs, the lamp, even the table, though not the two astounded adults.  
  
"Cassi?" Jack called without looking away, "Oh, Cassandra?"  
  
"What?!" his daughter snapped as she turned around. Everything crashed back tot he floor as her anger was replaced by astonishment.  
  
"I did that, didn't I?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I think so" Sam answered slowly.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Jack asked, not expecting either female to answer. Just then, their doors burst in and several units of armed men stormed into the house. 


	10. Abducted

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
  
Together, Jack and Cass were able to put down five or six of the men, but in the end they were caught. They were handcuffed and put into two black SUV's waiting in their driveway. They continuously demanded what was going on and where they were going, but their uniformed abductors said nothing.  
  
"Jack?" Sam sounded worried, but not scared. Cass too looked unpeturbed. Not that he expected her to ever look scared of anything. Niether was he afraid. Actually, he was surprised to find he was rather relieved.  
  
"At least we'll get some answers" he whispered. Still, she curled an arm around his and placed a hand on her unenlarged stomach. He caressed that hand to let her know he understood.   
  
The guards must not have been to concerned with security because the O'Neills could plainly see where they were going ; straight into a guarded mountain cave. They all felt it was a familiar setting. Like a scene they'd seen often on a favorite tv show. They were led to an elevator which seemed to continue into the bowels of the earth forever, and then to yet another elevator that went down, and down, and down. The family stayed close together, ready to face whatever as long as they were together.   
  
Finally, they reached the bottom. The guard led them to what appeared to be a conference room. There were windows, but a shade of some sort covered them. Jack led the way into the room, after the guards, but he percieved no danger. Then, a door opened and a bald man came out.  
  
"Ah, Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, Doctor" he greeted the, "Please, have a seat" None of them moved.   
"Are you talking to us?" Jack inquired.  
  
"Yes" the man answered simply, taking a seat himself. Not having any better ideas, and somewhat choiseless due to the standing guards, Jack held a seat out for his wife. As they sat, another door opened and in waltzed three faces the O'Neills did recognize, and one they couldn't quite place.  
  
"Doctor Fraiser, Ms. Fraiser, Doctor Jackson" the bald man greeted them, "Teal'c" The O'Neill's just stared as the four took places across the table.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Jack demanded.  
  
"Calm down, Jack. It's a long story" Daniel explained.  
  
"Well, you better start telling it, Dr. Jackson. If that's your name" Jack replied.  
  
"It is. Just,...wait a few minutes"  
  
"Doctor, why haven't the Mastra released them yet?" the bald man, obviously the leader, wanted to know.  
  
"The Mastra aren't exactly like the Goa'uld, General" Janet told him, "They take time to extract themselves. They also have to remove all the blocks they put up before they do that. Especiall on Cass" Sam and Jack both sat up a little taller, protective parental instincts snarling to the surface.  
  
"And their original hosts?" the "General" inquired.  
  
"Are waiting in the infirmary. The Mastra will have to be replaced immediately" Janet informed him, "I think we should take these three down there now"  
  
"Agreed" The General stood, as did everyone else, except Sam and Cass.  
  
"Now, wait a minute!" Jack objected, "Before you take *my* family anywhere, I want to know what's going on here!"  
  
"We don't have time, Jack" Daniel told him, "You'll remember everything soon, I promise" Jack looked unconvinced but then Cass stood up.  
  
"It's okay, Dad" she said, "We'll be fine. They're just trying to help"  
  
"How do you know that?" Jack asked quietly.  
  
"I just.....do" Cass answered. Jack looked to Sam for guidence. She just shrugged and stood. They silently followed their "friends" through the cooridors to the infirmary. Three paitients were already there, two female and one male. But they didn't seem to be quite human. THeir heads bulged to the sides, and their necks were thick too.   
  
"Here" Janet instructed the O'Neills into beds of their own.  
  
"Now what?" Cass asked when they were all lying down. Janet looked down at her kindly.  
  
"Now try to relax" she said, "And remember" So the O'Neill family closed their eyes, and calmed their breathing. They each seemed to fall off into sleep, one by one.  
And then the remembering began. 


	11. Remembering Memories

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
AN: This chapter deals with the memories of the O'Neills (and Carter) so it has all happened in the past. At the end they wake up and it's the present again. And a reminder: the lack of " marks indicates telepathic speech.  
  
  
At first, the memories were fleeting, flashing, like a flash on a camera. But they didn't disappear when the light faded. The O'Neill's found they could retrieve any memory they chose. Like who they really were. For a second, they were shocked to realize they weren't who they had thought they were, but then it passed. They still couldn't remember why they couldn't remember........something, but they were unworried. They relaxed and let the memories come.............................................................................  
...................."Off world activation!"  
  
"Who's expected back?" Hammond barked.  
  
"Uh, SG-1 should be coming back any time now, sir!"  
  
"Is it them?"  
  
"Yes, sir!" Carter was the first to tumble through. Behind her, Daniel, then three aliens. They were humanoid, but their heads and necks were enlarged.  
The Camera flashed again.  
  
"This is General Hammond, one of our leaders" Sam introduced the three, two female and one male, when the Colonel and Teal'c had joined them in the briefing room.  
  
"We are pleased to meet you" one of the females replied, "We are Gongor and T'weliak" The second female nodded.  
  
"We are Bavsha and M'orik"  
  
"And we are Selphee and Lenick" the male concluded.  
  
"It's a pleasure. How can we help you?" Hammond asked.  
  
"Uh, General, maybe you better let Carter answer that one" Jack suggested. So Sam explained the whole deal.  
  
And the Camera flashed again.  
  
"Let me get this straight. The Mastra are a symbiotic race similar to the Goa'uld, which the To'pa carry willingly, and they want to habitate three humans for 6 weeks to learn about humanity and human culture? Is that right?" SG-1 exchanged glances, then looked at the General.  
  
"Pretty much, yeah" Jack answered.  
  
"Pending the results of medical compatability tests. We do not wish to harm the hosts" Gongor(and/or T'weliak) answered, "We know we can leave our current hosts unharmed"  
  
"And who exactly did you have in mind for this......habitation?" Hammond wanted to know.  
  
"To learn properly, the hosts must be unaware of our presence. And they must be what Major Carter terms 'normal people'." Selphee/Lenick told him.  
  
"Civilians" Hammond stated.  
  
"Not necissarily, sir" Sam objected.  
  
"We're willing to volunteer" Cass told him. Hammond just looked at her, a confused expression on his face.  
  
"Who's we?"  
  
"Uh, that would be, us, sir" Jack piped up, "Cass, Carter and me"  
  
"You're not a family" Hammond objected, and only Daniel caught onto the pained undercurrent the three exueded over that comment.  
  
"We know, sir," Sam admitted, "But the Mastra have the ablitiy to repress memory. We could be made to believe we're a family"  
  
"And then the security risk would be minimal" Cass added. Hammond looked like he was considering it.  
  
"What about Dr. O'Neill's mental abilities? How will we control those if she has no memory of who she is?" he wanted to know.  
  
"We have some training in this matter" Bavsha/M'orik announced, "It is why we were chosen"  
  
"Bavsha and M'orik are our strongest Suppressors. They should be able to block these powers" Gongor/T'weliak informed him.  
  
And the Camera flashed again.  
  
"I brought some stuff over" Sam was standing in the bed room doorway, a box under one arm and several hangers of clothes on the other.  
  
"Uh, right." Jack answered and opened the closet. It was mostly empty. She quirked her lips and handed him the box as she struggled to get all the hangers onto the rod at once.  
  
"Whadjya bring?" Jack asked and peeked into the box before she could warn him. He didn't recoil, but politely said nothing and dropped the box on the bed.  
  
"Uh, I think Cass cleared these two drawers out for you" he indicated the dresser then left the room. Sam had tinged pink with embaressement, but she loaded the contents of the box into the drawers and hoped Jack would remember which drawers they were.  
*Meanwhile, Cass and Jack were having memory recalls of their own*  
  
Cass sat on her bed, fiddling with a braclet Jack didn't recognize. She didn't looked up when he walked in and sat on the end of the bed.  
  
"Well?" Cass let her feelings wash over him, letting him know exactly what she felt, without a possibility of mistake or doubt. She was excited about the chance to be a 'normal family', even if only for a few weeks, but she had reservations about the whole thing. She was nervous about having a mother, but even more nervous about how this whole escepade would affect their relationships with each other, and how they would react to whatever they had done while they were "out".  
  
It's kinda wierd, ya know?she said, still fiddling with the bracelet. It was Mom's. You gave it to me on my 16th birthday.  
  
Jack looked at the bracelet more carefully now. It was silver, with light blue gems imbedded in the small beads, but he still didn't recognize it.  
  
You saved it for me Cass told him But with all this.....I can't help but wonder........  
  
"What would've happened if your mom hadn't died?" Jack finished. He could feel the pain she still carried, after all, it had really only been a few months since her reality perished under Goa'uld attack. She still grieved after her mother, even though she had only been samll when she'd died, quietly in the back of her head. And then Jack saw something Cass had never meant him to see. She had felt Sam die, even as an infant. He looked up at her, but she just shrugged.  
  
"Cass" he said softly. She crawled over and layed her head on his lap.  
  
"Well, if nothing else, this is going to be educational" he smirked.  
  
And the Camera flashed again.  
  
The Mastra weren't quite as ugly as the Goa'uld. They were much smaller, only about three inches long, and they had no dicernable mouth, or head even. When they first came out of their To'pa hosts, Janet noticed quite a few "tentacles", but the Mastra quickly withdrew them, so as not to startle their waiting hosts. They were tubular, but they resembled the spinal cord more than a Goa'uld.  
  
"Ther will be pain" T'weliak said.  
  
"We gave them local anesthetics, it should prevent most of the pain" Janet told her. Cass, Carter and O'Neill were on their stomachs, and felt the cold pressure of the Mastra pushing through the skin, to connect with their bodies in an odd way.  
  
And the Camera flashed again.  
  
Sam sucked in a deep, startled, breath. On the bed next to her, Jack jerked. It was something like coming out of a long movie, from a dark theatre, to the bright light of the middle of the day. The disorientation passed and the two sat up.  
  
"Cassi?" Sam asked. Her neck was a little sore, but other than that she felt perfectly fine.  
  
"It's taking a little longer" Janet answered, "The blocks were stronger" Just then the Mastra emerged on her neck, drawing in it's legs. Another doctor picked it up and put it on M'orik's neck and is disappeared into her. Cass rolled over with a groan and sat up. She rubbed her neck tenderly. She caught her father's eye from across the room.  
  
Well, she said privately, That was........educational. 


	12. Confirmation

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
It was late.   
  
Other than the normal night shift, they were the only four left in the SGC. The Mastra and To'pa had gone home hours ago, perfectly fine and overjoyed with all of the information they'd gotten from their time on Earth. The three ex-hosts had gone through a number of exams and debriefs to make sure there were no lasting effects on them. And there weren't.  
  
Except one.   
  
Sam was sitting on the bed, Jack was standing beside her and Cass stood behind them, on the other side of the bed, all waiting for the verdict. Janet turned around, not sure if she was the bearer of good news or bad.  
  
What a group of people! She thought to herself. She laughed inwardly, trying to imagine the future.  
  
I heard that! a young voice said in her head. She glanced at Cass but the girl wasn't smiling. Janet took a breath.  
  
"Sam, you're pregnant" she told her friend softly, "About 20 days I'd say" For a moment niether Jack nor Sam said anything. This would be the second child they'd concieved together without their knowing, or their consent.  
  
"I.....don't know what to say" Sam replied, looking at Jack, but even Cass was having a hard time of deciphering what he felt.  
  
"Why don't we ......go home. Talk about it tomorrow?" he suggested. The four of them walked out together in silence, Janet feeling very much like a "third party", or rather a fourth.  
  
"Be careful!" Jack called to Sam as she got in her car.  
  
"I will" she answered.  
  
The next morning, however, Jack hadn't emerged from his room when his daughter left to visit Cassie. She could feel the roll of emotions he was dancing with, but she didn't listen in.  
  
I'm going to Cassie's she informed him as she walked out the door,I'll be back soon.   
  
At the Fraisers, she sat quietly in the other girl's room.  
  
"You were funny the first week" Cassie said to stir the air, "You had no idea what to do at school"  
  
"I know" a small smile curved her lips at the memory, "People make it sound easy" The silence resumed again, each girl in her own thoughts, until Cass picked up on something coming from Cassie.  
  
Was is wierd? she asked mentally, Having Unlce Danny as a Dad?  
  
"I don't know" Cassie answered, "It was only when you were here"  
  
But?  
  
"I know my Mom really likes him" Cassie admitted, "He's kinda weird, but he'd be an okay dad I guess" And Cass caught what her friend hadn't said, that it would be nice to have someone to call "Dad" again.  
  
"Do you think your parents are going to get married?" Cass looked out the window into the blue sky.  
  
"I don't know" 


	13. Shared Memories

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
She could feel his resolve the minute she opened up, as she climbed the stairs, and she knew he'd made a decision. And she knew, without asking or peeking, what that decision was.   
  
She hurried to her room to find one more thing she'd brought with her. One last memory to give away. One thing she'd held closely in the bottom of her heart.  
  
She stood outside his door, but he wasn't in there. She moved out with her mind, and found him in the back yard. He was sitting on the picnic table, a beer in his hands, face up to the sun.   
  
Dad? Jack looked over, a strange mix of joy, relief and trepedation stirring around inside him. But Cass knew from years of experience, no one ever felt completely one way about anything even when they thought they did.  
  
"Hey" her father replied and the joy surged to the top of the mix.  
  
"I have something for you" Cass told him, joining him on the table. The day was perfectly still, and the sky bright blue, and the sun wonderfully warm. Cass held the box out, her fingers already missing it's presence. Her father took it, and opened it. A diamond ring sat upright in velvet stuffing. The sun glinted off of it, casting rainbows over his shirt and making him squint slightly in the glare. It had the lightest tint of blue, deep in the middle of the diamond, and three small saphires on either side really brought it out. They were all set in white gold, which was braided at the top around the gems.  
  
"Cass, it's beautiful" Jack said, closing the lid on the box. Cass could feel the confusion in him.  
  
"I....want to show you" He nodded, so she closed her eyes, and pulled him into her memories......................................  
..............................................Memories are always tinted, with emotion, reflection, sometimes even music. Cass's memories were rich with the emotions and thoughts of the people she had shared the experience with, as well as her own. Jack could immediately feel that Cassi had warm feelings about this day. They were obviously on another planet, in a grassy courtyard of a castle like building. Roses were blooming to their right, and they were seated together on a stone bench.   
  
It was my thirteenth birthday Cass whispered to him. He couldn't see her, at least not the her real self, just her memory self. He was right behind her, watching from a skewed version of her point of view.   
  
"I should have proposed to her a million times" Jack heard himself say. It was odd, hearing himself talk, feeling his emotions. It reminded him of his cybernetic double, still alive on a planet somewhere in what seemed like the distant past now.   
  
"Why didn't you?" his daughter's memory self asked. Jack wasn't sure how this conversation had originated, or what it's purpose was, but he could feel they had plans to do something special, and apparently it involved Sam somehow. The other Jack just shook his head. Then another man, one Cass recognized as Peter, entered the courtyard. He was a medium sized man, dressed in a purple tunic and leather jerkin.  
  
"The Metal Worker is ready for you Master O'Neill, Mistress" he announced regally. The two stood and followed the man. Jack was pulled along with them, through an arch in the wall to what appeared to be a market place, of medeval porportions. They continued down the lane to the end, where a building with what was probably a royal crest above the doorway stopped it. A big man, probably the metal worker, stood behind a velvet covered table. Jack had to peer over the shoulders of the memory people to see the exquisit gems layed out.  
  
"We'll pick the perfect diamond" the other Jack said. Cass, a thirteen year old Cass, smiled up at him.  
  
"For Mom" Then Jack understood. He had told Cassi that he wished he had married her mother, and they were picking out an engagment ring for her, one that she would never wear. And when the time came, Cass would wear it as her wedding ring.  
  
Then the memory faded away and they were back in the backyard. He looked at his young daughter, and realized what it must have taken for her to give up such a treasure.  
  
"Thanks" he said simply. She just shrugged.  
  
"It's a cheap price to pay to get my Mom back" she said and took off for the house. She suddenly felt very light and happy, as if the weight of the past year had just fallen from her shoulders. Jack caught the feeling, if Cass knew it or not, and it was like that diamond glinting in the warm sun.  
  
She was completely happy for the first time since she'd come to them, and he knew he'd made the right decision. 


	14. Grand Finale

What If's, Maybe So's, and Could've Been's  
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.   
  
To borrow a phrase: SG-1 and Star Gate no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?  
The car ride was quiet. He wasn't nervous, not really, but he was a little tense. It's not everyday you propose to the mother of your children. He kept running senarios through his head, trying to figure out what exactly to say. He felt cheesy.  
  
"What are we doing here?" Sam asked when they pulled up to a local college. Jack didn't reply, but led her through the halls to an empty, dark room. She couldn't see, but he could find his way around and led her to a seat, then told her he'd be right back. She smiled as a thousand pin pricks of light glowed their way into existance above her.  
  
"A planetarium?" she quirked when he took his own seat next to her.  
  
"Familiar setting" Jack replied. They sat in the star lit room silently for a few minutes until Jack thought of the perfect wording.  
  
"Let's just get married"  
  
"Jack........." Jack pulled the ring out, but didn't open it just yet.  
  
"Carter......Sam. We have two kids. We're married or engaged in at least two other realities, probably a dozen more. You know how I feel about you, I know how you feel about me" he paused and opened the box, "And we have the perfect ring" Even the minimial starlight glinted through the diamond on the ring, making it sparkle like the twinkle in a new mother's eye.   
  
"It's beautiful, Jack!" Sam breathed.  
  
"Cass and I picked it out........sorta. Long story" Sam reached out and plucked it from the velvet it was encased in. For a moment, she just held it, mesmerized not only by it's perfectness, but by how it was perfect for her. She had no idea how, but the ring felt as if it had been crafted specifically for her, as if by magic. Her heart knew it was for her, and it cried to put it on.   
  
But her head was resisting.  
  
"Jack," she looked up, but couldn't bring herself to put the ring back, "We can't. There are regulations. The logistics........."  
  
"Forget the regs!" Jack cried, "We'll work our way around them. I'll retire if I have to"  
  
"And do what? Be a Hollywood superstar? On Wormhole X-treme?"  
  
"Well, at least I'd have some good stories to sell" Jack joked.  
  
"What about Cassi?" Sam asked, knowing full well the girl would love to have her parents marry. She'd helped pick out the ring after all.  
  
"Samantha....marry me" Sam looked into his eyes, then looked down into that simply perfect diamond..............................................................................  
  
The Wedding was a small affair. It was held in Jack's backyard on a clear day when the sun itself seemed to be smiling down.  
  
Janet acted as the maid of honor, and Daniel was the best man. Teal'c was facinated by the ceremony. Several others from the SGC were in attendance. (Jack's parents were unable to attend, which was fine with the three of them. They had had a hard enough time explaining Cassi over the phone.)  
  
"You look beautiful, Major" Hammond said just before walking Sam down the isle. She was wearing a simple unfettered dress of white silk, with spagetti straps, that just reached her ankles. Cass wore a shorter version in teal and Janet a similiar dress in robin egg's blue. Jack and Daniel had gone casual too, both in kahkis and sport's coats.  
  
No one cried when the new couple kissed, but they all felt an unbounding feeling of pure happiness, and a few eyes diverted to Cass, who was trying to reign in her emotions.   
  
"I didn't exactly bring a gift" General Hammond siad quietly in the recieving line, immediately after the ceremony, "But I do have news. The President has granted you two a special dispensation"  
  
"Meaning?" Jack inquired just as quietly.  
  
"Well, let's just say niether of you will be retiring any time soon" Hammond grinned, "The O'Neill's are much to vital to the SGC to let a little thing like marriage get in the way" The newlyweds exchanged surprised looks as he moved away and Cassi came bounding up.  
  
Did he tell you?! she asked excitedly.  
  
"You did this, didn't you?" Sam asked accusingly, but happily.  
  
Of course! You didn't *really* think I could spend and *entire* day alone in my room did you? She grinned at them and planeted kisses on both of their cheeks, "Besides, if one of you had to retire, I'd never have any fun!" She laughed and pranced away.  
  
Both Sam and Jack had spent a long time thinking about where to take their honey moon. After all, they did have an entire galaxy at their fingertips. Ultimately, though, their decision was easy.  
  
As the sun set on the gentle waves of the Pacific ocean, the recently appeared O'Neill's sent silent thanks to their daughter.  
  
Behave now! she said, sounding very distant in their heads. Jack gathered Sam into his arms and smiled.  
  
"Only one person in this entire galaxy knows exactly where we are right now" he whispered. Sam looked out onto the water, slowly closed her eyes, and smiled. 


End file.
